Dictionary of the Scots Language
Dictionar o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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Grene, Grein, a. Also: gren, greyne, greine, griene, gryne, greene. [ME. greene, grene (gren, greyn, etc.), OE. gréne.] Green, in lit. and fig. senses.

1. Of plants, trees, foliage, or grass. (a) He … crounit hym-self with lauream gren [: bene]; Leg. S. i. 563.
In the ȝarde is nane erbe grene; Ib. xl. 396.
A garland … Grene suld lestand be lang quhile; Wynt. iv. Prol. 5.
A grene tre fra the rwte wes sawyn; Ib. vii. 546.
Thai suld nocht noy to the treis, na herbis, na grene thing; Hay I. 30/21.
Ane grene tre … That bure branchis on breid; Howlat 399.
Flouris, sum grene, sum blew; Henr. Fab. 1647.
Withoutin fude bot grene herbis and frutt; Stewart 43893.
Robert the Bruce wnder the levis grene … oftymes all allane; Ib. 49260.
Cou thou me the raschis grene; Compl. 63/26.
Lyke lawre tre, quhilk euer growis grene; G. Ball. 98.
Greit woddis … of aikin grene growand tries; Bisset II. 51/30.
fig. Treuth [micht] retorne with tryvmphe & wax grene, Quhilk fadit was; Contempl. Sinn. 124.
The [nobill Stewarts] … Thow gart upspring, with branches new and greine; Dunb. lxxvii. 38.
Thocht this tirrane … Be deid him self, his breanchis growis grene; Stewart 16764.
(b) A brawnche … of greyne olywe; Wynt. i. 420.
Thai pottis … [he] helit had Vith stikis and vith girs al greyne; Brus xi. 372 (C).
In thi hand a branch of olyve greyn; Dunb. vii. 68.
Thidder I went greyn bewis doune to haill; Doug. iii. i. 48.
Hectoris voyd tumbe, … Quhilk scho vpbeildit had of herbis greyn; Ib. v. 44.
Steilling … greyn growand bear; 1596 Misc. Spald. C. I. 86.
Greyne peyis … sauld full and ryp; 1654 Nicoll Diary 131.
(c) All thy feadit leifis grow sall greine; J. Stewart 167 § 4.
In greine and florishing pasture … it abundes; Dalr. I. 32/15.
Thair heid thay laid vpon a greine turfe, or sum of the greiner bent or raschis; Ib. 94/22.
First on the griene grasse, and then on the cassey; 1653 Lamont Diary 64.

b. Of ground: Covered with grass or verdure. Early examples (12–13th c.) occur in place-names, as Grenlaw, Grenegare, Greneham, Grenerig, Greneside. In thare flattis gret, Than growand grene off wyne and quheyt; Wynt. iii. 239.
And sua furth eist … as the Greyne Laich gais; 1434 Liber. Aberbr. 67.
And swa sowth … to the furd of Dersy vest the greyn rod; 1458 Ib. 104.
Robene sat on gud grene hill, Kepand a flok of fe; Henr. Robin & M. i.
Than he merkit with myrth our ane grene meid; Gol. & Gaw. 176.
The beriall stremis rynning men micht heir By bonkis grene; Douglas Pal. Hon. Prol. vi.
The grene feildis … drank up the drops of the fresche deu; Compl. 38/21.
With ane pece grene eirth liand be est the said Welcroft; 1563 Inchaffray Reg. 87.
Thrie gryt stanes … standing in ane grene braid gait; 1595 Bamff Chart. 144.
Ane uther grene balk lyand … betuix the saidis landis; Ib. 145.
Anent the gryt abus and skaith doune be fyr, burning firr stoks, and greine eird; 1636 Misc. Spald. C. V. 225.
To cast any of the forbidden earth, grein earth, and moss turffes; 1652 Lanark B. Rec. 148.

c. Of woods, groves, or gardens. Scho couth … ger the woddis grene … Flouris again; Troy-bk. i. 446.
Sittand on ȝule ewin in ane fresch grene schaw; Lichtoun Dreme 41.
Quhair haue ȝe bene? Quod scho, Into my gardine grene; Lynd. Meldrum 1013.
Scho persawed ane bocage growand greine; J. Stewart 18/133.
Ib. 67/82.

2. Of cloth and garments or other articles made of cloth, esp. grene clathe for covering a table, a table-cover. (1) A stek of gren say; 1498 Halyb. 165.
Taffeti grene, rede, blew; 1507 Treas. Acc. III. 260.
xxvij elnis of reid, ȝallow, and grene serge; 1538 Ib. VII. 89.
Sex squyeris he heas gart cleath also In greine satine; Clar. ii. 743.
ij fair courthingis of Turky tafeteis greyne and reid; 1549 Reg. Episc. Aberd. II. 196.
Ane cuscheoun of grene satine; 1561 Inv. Wardrobe 141.
Thre curtenis of grene damas; Ib. 149.
The cleyth … of grein stemmyne; 1604 Misc. Maitl. C. I. 102.
Ane steik chainging burret reid and greine; 1618 Edinb. Test. L. 163 b.
Ane … sute of sad greine cloth; 1633 Ib. LVI. 198 b.
(2) With grene almous [= amice] on hed; Howlat 210.
Thir birdis sang thair houris Within thair courtyns grene; Dunb. G. Targe 12.
Thair mantillis grein war as the gres; Id. Tua Mar. W. 25.
That all the ȝoung abil men … haue thair grene cottis; 1535 Aberd. B. Rec. I. 150.
Thre greyn cowartouris for comptaris; 1542 Inv. Wardrobe 98.
Ane pair of drogatt courtingis grein and reid; 1580 Coll. Aberd. & B. 391.
Four greine velvat cots … for footmen; 1674 Fraser P. 258.
(3) To mak ane grene clayth to the burd; 1556 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 241.
Ane dornik buird clayth, ane dissone of seruetis, and ane grein clayth; 1569 Ib. III. 261.
Ane lang grein cleith for ane hie burde … , Thre lytill grein burde cleithis for chalmeris; 1580 Coll. Aberd. & B. 392.
To by and furneis cuscheonis and grene claithes to the townis counsal hovs; 1600 Edinb. B. Rec. VI. 276.
For ane greyne clayth to the lords of the Sessioun, … for allevin quarters Inglis greyne clayth; 1607 Ib. 334.
To delyuer out of his said office … the grencloth, all such silver-plate, naprie [etc.] … as wer in his charge; 1634 Stirling's Royal Lett. II. 765.

3. Of various things of this colour. The thrid part of the blude was grene; Hay I. 9/9.
For the flowring of the candill with gren walx; 1494 Edinb. Hammermen 7.
Moir gudely eik na is the emerant greyne; Dunb. lxxxvii. 37.
Wantand bot ane, amang the fludis greyn Quham we saw droun; Doug. i. ix. 9.
Quhar growis the marbill greyn; Ib. iii. ii. 113.
Lang scho lay with deadlie visage greine; Clar. iii. 203.
With bullis of leid, quhyte wax and reid, And vther quhylis with grene; G. Ball. 176.
Ane grene buist paintit on the lid; 1578 Inv. Wardrobe 240.
The starnis … Sum reid, sum ȝellow, blew, and grein; Montg. Ch. & Slae 229.
The sowme of fourtene punds … to be putt in the greyne boxe; 1607 Edinb. B. Rec. VI. 27.
Thrie dussane of greine spoones; 1651 Edinb. Test. LXV. 158.

4. Not yet seasoned, dried, or preserved in any way: a. Of wood or timber. Thai mak the saidillis of grene tymmer quhair thai aw to be maid of widderit and dry; Acts I. 337/2.
His saikles blude agane thay shed Persing his heid with pykis grene; Dunb. lxxii. 44.
Men … with ane grene sting hes gart thame bring The geir; Flemyng Bann. MS. 160 b/70.
Ane faire palice of greine tymmer; Pitsc. I. 336/5.
He wes maist crowellie crucyfeid on ane croce of grene trie; Bisset II. 9/29.

b. Of skins or hides: Untanned. Arlis to the fleschour … for grene scheip skynnis and hydes; 1579 Edinb. B. Rec. IV. 134.
xxxiij grene hydis new laid in the bark hoill with bark to bark thame; 1586 Edinb. Test. XVI. 42 b.
Of barket and grene ledder in the pottis fyve dalkeris; 1591 St. A. Test. II. 171.
That na maisters nor servandis … pas to anye buith or fleschour hous to buye anye grein skynnis; 1630 Edinb. B. Rec. VII. 85.

c. Of fish, esp. herring: Fresh, unsalted. With thair schippis laidnit with grene fishe … gottin upoun the mayne sey; 1587 Reg. Privy C. IV. 216.
Ilk thousand grene hering loissit and sauld; 1598 Conv. Burghs. II. 34.
That no assise aucht to be craved of ony hering, bot of suche as ar broght freshe and greene to land; 1614 Melrose P. 130.
Ane barrell & ane half of grein hering; 1624 Orkney & Zetl. Test. I. 109.
For a dishe of greene fishe; Household Bks. Archb. Sharp ii.

d. Of various other things. For grene ginger at diuers tymes; Treas. Acc. I. 21.
Makand in the barne ten bollis … grene malt.; of maid malt in the loft nyne bollis; 1579 Edinb. Test. VII. 241 b.
To the furnesching of the desertis, … twa pund of grein feges; 1607 Misc. Maitl. C. I. 170.
Drugs … , Grene ginger the pound … xii s.; 1612 Bk. Rates 365.
Aganis putters of greene lint in running waters; 1628 Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. II. 438.

5. In transf. and fig. uses. (1) His body … alswa fresche & gren, As it that day grawin had bene; Leg. S. ii. 369.
(2) The etern wound hyd in her breist, ay grein; Doug. i. i. 67.
Considering the greyn slauchtiris … that is done apon thaim; 1522 Acta Conc. MS. XXXIII. 107.
He schew mony grene [L. recentes] woundis on his bak; Bell. Livy I. 167/23.
For ȝaiking of his woundis newe and greine; Clar. i. 127.
The wound then wes grene and resent; 1557 Digest Justiciary Proc. B. 142.
Perchance the rememberans of this grene wound … makes ȝow the feirter; Dalr. II. 188/18.
(3) I held ay grene in to his mynd that I of grace tuk him; Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 317.
Thi honour and thi fame sall euir be grene; Doug. i. ix. 54.
The rancour wes … in thair mynd so recent and so grene; Stewart 17091.
(4) I traistit that Venus … My faidit hart of lufe scho wald mak grene; Henr. Test. Cress. 24.
Grene ȝowth to aige thow mon obey; Kennedy Bann. MS. 52 b/9.
With pith and strenth into thi ȝeris grene; Dunb. xc. 65.
Greyn gentill ingynys and breistis curageus; Doug. i. Prol. 321.
So that the amorus queyn He mycht inflambe, within hir banys greyn; Ib. x. 6.
Vant and Vane-gloir with new grene appetyte; Id. K. Hart 550.
Thocht luve be grene in gud curage, … The end of it is miserie; Bann. MS. 255 a/26.
Wormes, of quhilkes sum war ȝit greine & ȝoung [L. rudia]; Dalr. I. 61/14.

6. a. In various special uses, with broth, cheis, cot (coat), grave, guse, horn, kail, lime, serene, ȝarde. At supper … twa dische of grein brothe; 1615 3rd Rep. Hist. MSS. App. III. 412/2.
Flot quhaye, grene cheis, kyrn mylk; Compl. 43/2.
Giff they hard ony crying of ‘Grene cottis, bludie botscheris [etc.]’; 1600–1 State P. No. 108/10 (Reg. Ho) 4.
Johne Rentoull cryand ‘Grene cottis, ȝe haue committit murther’; Ib.
New and grein graves; 15.. Aberd. B. Rec. (J).
Gryt perell through bureing of people in the kirkyaird … and within the kirk itself by raising of grene graivis and holking under the kirk vall; 1601 Elgin Rec. II. 96.
To the woman that brocht grene geys to the King; 1506 Treas. Acc. III. 399.
The Scotch king being upon the castle-hill to see his men, which he called his Green Hornes, beaten; 1650 Relat. Fight near Leith (1806) 214.
Tyrones, fresh-water souldiers, or new-levyed; greenhorns: also it signifieth novices in any profession; C. Irvine Hist. Scot. Nomencl. 241.
Whatsomever person that steillis any of their neighbours' peittis, green-kail, corn, etc.; 1640 Trans. Hawick Archaeol. (1868) 10.
The defenders came again and … destroyed his green kaill; 1665 Melrose Reg. Rec. II. 135.
The new bigging parte of grene lyme, parte myxt with mortare, was nocht ȝit hard nor solid; Boece vii. x. 242.
The grene serene sang sueit, quhen the gold spynk chantit; Compl. 39/25.
The fewferme of Johne of Sollaris for the grene ȝardis besyde Striueline; 1474 Treas. Acc. I. 3.
Dauid Levingstoun of the grene ȝardis; Asl. MS. I. 235/7.
Henri Levingstone of Waster Greinȝairds; 1595 Hist. Logie I. 42.

b. Comb. with -hefted, -hewit, -hornit. Vnder ane holyn hewinlie grein hewit; Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 11.
ix oxin, … ane grene-hornit; 1563 Prot. Bk. J. Drummond 30.
Ane dusson grein hornit sponis; 1625 Brechin Test. IV. 198.
Fyve pair of greinhefted knyves; 1664 Inventory in
Decreets Dal. XI.